Shogun: Total War guide

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Presents an Unofficial Guide to: Shogun: Total War

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Table Of Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 2 The Clans ……………………………………………………………………….. 3 Overland Map …………………………………………………………………… 9 Managing Your Territories & Armies ………………………………………. 12 Construction ……………………………………………………………………. 16 Units ……………………………………………………………………………… 38 General Battle Tactics ………………………………………………………… 47 Territorial Strategy …………………………………………………………….. 54 Charts and Graphs …………………………………………………………….. 79

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Introduction Japan is in a state of turmoil. Eight clan leaders are at war for the ultimate prize,

to become SHOGUN, the ruler and keeper of all Japan. You take control of one

of these leaders, each with its own objective and methods to become the Shogun

and total ruler of all Japan. This game is unique in that you play on a map in

turn-based mode until you get into battle, when it goes to battle map of the land

you are fighting in and switches to real-time war. You have total control over

thousands of men that fight for one thing, YOU. Things like weather, honor,

landscape, weapon upgrades, armor types and upgrades affect the way the

battle will turn out. If you pit the wrong units against an opposing force, you will

lose the battle; but if you choose wisely, you can take an overwhelming force with

a smaller group of men. On the overland map, you control your economy, your

troop movements, buildings, and espionage. To put this all together in one game

makes it well worth the wait. I will be giving you strategies, tactics, unit

descriptions and abilities, buildings and their purposes, landscape and its

benefits in battle, a complete rundown on each territory on its special units,

resources, or defensive abilities.

-Spellfire-

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The Clans The clans of Japan each have their own special troops and abilities, along with a

goal to attain the throne. While one will kill you with a ninja, the other will shoot

you with 900 archers. One will ally with you and help you while the next will ally

with you and attack you while your back is turned. Below is a short description of

each clan, its starting territories, starting armies, and the special ability of the

clan.

Clan Shimazu: (Green) Clan Shimazu begins on a peninsula in the far southwestern part of the

continent. They are the masters of the sword and the No-Dachi that they train

are the cheapest and greatest in the game.

Starting Territories and Units Territory: Units:

Satsuma (Capital) Daimyo, Emissary

Osumi N/A

Hyuga N/A

Higo Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai

Bungo Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai

Buzen Yari Samurai, Yari Ashigaru

Nagato Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Clan Special Abilities The Shimazu Clan can train and maintain the No-Dachi swordsman for a lower

cost.

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Clan Mori: (Red) Clan Mori begins in the northwestern strip of Japan. This clan holds religion in

high regard and its training and upkeep of warrior monks is unrivaled.


Mimasaka (Capital) Daimyo, Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers, Emissary

Harima Yari Ashigaru, Samurai Archer

Iwaba Yari Samurai

Bizen Samurai Archer, Yari Ashigaru

Hoki Yari Samurai

Izumo (2) Yari Samurai

Iwami Yari Ashigaru, Samurai Archer

Suo Samurai Archer, Yari Ashigaru

Clan Special Abilities Clan Mori can train and maintain the warrior monks for a lower cost.

Clan Oda: (Gold) If you are looking for a Hitler of this game, Clan Oda will fit the bill. They are the

power mongers that believe in genocide of its enemies through sheer force.

They do not have any special units, but they can call upon the Ashigaru without

paying much. They begin in the center of Japan with many rebels around them.


Owari (Capital) Daimyo, Yari Ashigaru, Samurai Archers, Emissary

Mino (2) Yari Ashigaru

Wakasa Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

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Tamba Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Kawachi (2) Yari Ashigaru

Omi Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Iga Samurai Archers

Yamato Samurai Archers, Yami Ashigaru

Kii Yari Ashigaru

Clan Special Abilities The Oda Clan can recruit and maintain the Yari Ashigaru for a lower cost.

Clan Imagawa: (Light blue) The people of Clan Imagawa are they sly, sneaky diplomats and assassins of the

game. They make good use of the ninja and emissary and are not above talking

to you and then killing you in your sleep. They begin with split territories, a group

of 3 in the south center of Japan and a group of 3 in the far west end of the

continent.


Totomi (Capital) Daimyo, Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai, (2) Ninja,

Emissary

Suruga Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers

Mikawa Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers

Chikugo Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers

Chikuzen Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers

Hizen Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers

Clan Special Abilities Because of their nature, Clan Imagawa can recruit and keep Ninja and

Emissaries for a lower cost.

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Clan Tekeda: (Black) Masters of the horseman, the Tekeda clan is unrivaled in the uses of the cavalry.

They start with a horse dojo and stomp through the enemy lines with a

vengeance. This clan also starts divided on the continent with 3 territories in the

middle south and 3 in the west.


Kai (Capital) Daimyo, Yari Cavalry, Yari Samurai, Cavalry Archers,

Emissary

Izu Yari Cavalry

Sagami Cavalry Archers, Yari Samurai

Bitchu Yari Samurai

Bingo Yari Cavalry, Cavalry Archers

Aki Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers

Clan Special Abilities The Tekeda Clan can train and maintain cavalry units for a lower cost.

Clan Hojo: (Purple) Once the mighty Shoguns, this clan is one of the wealthiest in all Japan. The

lands they hold are rich in valuable ores so they can build the mighty fortresses

that stop armies cold. They begin the campaign on the eastern end of Japan.


Shimosa (Capital) Daimyo, Emissary

Hitachi Yari Ashigaru, Samurai Archers

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Musashi Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Shimotsuke Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai

Kozuke Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai

Clan Special Abilities Clan Hojo has the ability to build castle structures for a lower cost.

Clan Uesugi: (Dark Blue) This clan is very persistent and rich. In their run to become the leaders of Japan,

they train their archers at a cost reduction and their leaders are very strong. The

starting point for them is in the far eastern end.


Mutsu (Capital) Daimyo, Yari Samurai, Samurai Archers, Emissary

Dewa N/A

Sado Yari Ashigaru

Echigo Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Shinano Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai

Hida Samurai Archers, Yari Samurai

Clan Special Abilities Clan Uesugi creates and maintains archers for a lower cost.

Neutral and Ronin: (White) (You cannot play the Neutral Clans) The Neutrals are clans and territories that

do not want to fight for the right to become Shogun for one reason or another.

They will not attack you unless you attack them but beware, they do continue to

build and they start with some pretty strong buildings and armies.

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Tosa Yari Ashigaru

Iyo Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Awa N/A

Sanuki Samurai Archers, Yari Ashigaru

Awaji (2) Yari Ashigaru

Yamashiro (Emperor) (4) Warrior Monks, (2) Samurai Archers

Echizen Warrior Monks, Samurai Archers

Etchu Warrior Monks, Samurai Archers

Noto N/A

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Overland Map All the land in Japan has some value, whether it be just the farm koku, a natural

defensive structure like rivers, or extra income like ports and valuable resources.

Below is a list of all the territories and their stats for the beginning of a game.

Farms, with upgrades, can get up to double the amount shown below for koku

per year.

List of Territories and Their Starting Stats Aki Farm 153, Trade 200 Silver, Iron Sand, Port

Awa Farm 180 River

Awaji Farm 60 N/A

Bingo Farm 130 Iron Sand

Bitchu Farm 314 River

Bungo Farm 120 N/A

Buzen Farm 228 N/A

Chikugo Farm 320 River

Chikuzen Farm 304 N/A

Dewa Farm 400 Gold

Echigo Farm 420 River, Silver

Echizen Farm 280 N/A

Etchu Farm 220 N/A

Harima Farm 220 Silver, Build Port 1125

Hida Farm 120 N/A

Higo Farm 178 N/A

Hitatchi Farm 620 Iron Sand

Hizen Farm 408, Trade 200 Castle, Port, Build port 1125

Hoki Farm 103 Iron Sand

Hyuga Farm 174 N/A

Iga Farm 120 +1 honor Ninja, Iron Sand

Inaba Farm 125 Iron Sand

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Ise Farm 440 Archery Dojo, Buddhist Temple

Iwami Farm 120 Iron Sand

Iyo Farm 220 Copper

Izu Farm 70 N/A

Izumo Farm 143 Iron Sand

Kaga Farm 200 +1 honor Warrior Monks, Buddhist temple

Archery Dojo

Kai Farm 200 Gold, Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garden Horse

Dojo, Spear Dojo

Kawachi Farm 420 River

Kazusa Farm 190 +1 honor Emissaries

Kii Farm 270 +1 honor Warrior Monks

Kozuke Farm 410 N/A

Mikawa Farm 260 River

Mimasaka Farm 123 Iron Sand

Mino Farm 260 Iron Sand

Musashi Farm 640 River

Mutsu Farm 600 Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garder, Spear Dojo

Nagato Farm 139 Iron Sand

Noto Farm 100 N/A

Omi Farm 235 Iron Sand

Osumi Farm 175 N/A

Owari Farm 650 Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garden, Spear Dojo

+1 Honor Ashigaru

Sado Farm 160 Iron Sand

Sagami Farm 460, Trade 200 Port

Sanuki Farm 380 N/A

Satsuma Farm 180 Castle, Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garden

Spear Dojo, +1 honor No-Dachi

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Shimosa Farm 290 River, Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garden Spear

Dojo

Shimotsuke Farm 210 Copper

Shinano Farm 340 +1 honor Cavalry, Iron Sand

Suo Farm 139 Iron Sand

Suruga Farm 100 N/A

Tajima Farm 95 +1 honor Shinobi

Tamba Farm 220 N/A

Tosa Farm 242 +1 honor Yari Ashigaru, Spear Dojo,

Archery Dojo

Totomi Farm 155, Trade 200 Castle, Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garden

Ninja House, Spear Dojo, Port, +1 Honor

Archers

Yamashiro Farm 350 +1 honor on all units built, Archery Dojo

Buddhist Temple

Yamato Farm 202 N/A

Wakasa Farm 103 N/A

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Managing Your Territories and Armies Territorial management depends on how you want to run the game. If you are

looking to become a big military power and crush your enemies with sheer

numbers, you will build more men and dojos. If you are looking to get ahead in

technology and hit them with fewer, more powerful units, you will climb the

technology tree and have fewer but more powerful men. Everything that you do

and all you can build rotates around the level of your castle. The amount of

money you bring in comes from things like your farms, ports and mines. The

koku is the currency in Shogun and it needs to be well managed or you will be

broke by the end of a year. This section will help you to understand how the

building tree works, how the economy works and how to use the two together.

Natural disasters are a part of this game and when they happen they can be a

great setback. There’s nothing worse than building that legendary sword smith to

have an earthquake take it down along with 2 of your famous dojos. When a

natural disaster hits a territory, the koku output for that year is halved and the

loyalty of your people goes down, so be prepared with some Shinobi if at all

possible. There isn’t anything you can do about the money, but the Shinobi will

keep order and help prevent the revolt.

Money Management What would you like to do? Do you want to be a power monger and spend all

your money on military might or do you want to play the diplomat and go up the

technological tree? If you choose military power, build your armies and build

them fast. Don’t worry about castle and building upgrades; you are going for

sheer numbers here. If you want to go up the technological tree, build a good

garrison in your territories and put your money into upping your structures.

Watch your koku output. You are not guaranteed a set amount of money every

year. One year could yield a plus fifty percent while the next could cut your

income in half with a drought.

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Military Power This is the way of the warrior. You will build a lot of low-level troops to just

overrun the opposing forces, but your forces will be nothing special in terms of

weaponry and armor. You will see your empire spread out fast, and just the

shock of a large army can make your opponent surrender without a fight.

• Build up your farms to at least 40% to help keep the money coming in to

support these troops. The more troops you have, the more Koku is spent

to support them each year.

• When and where you can, build mines and ports. Ports bring in 200 Koku

per year and mines vary from 200 for Copper, 400 for Silver, to 600 for

Gold. Mines and ports are very expensive but when you can spare the

cash, they are a great investment.

• Get your castle to level 2 (large castle) so you can build a horse dojo and

upgrade your archers and spearmen to +1 honor units when you train new

units. With this, you now have all the lower-level units consisting of

archers, foot soldiers, and cavalry.

• When you can, build a castle in new territories and get an archery and

spear dojo built. Protect them and use the men produced to move to the

next territory. The more dojos, the more troops you can have pushed out

each turn.

Technological Power This is the way of the diplomat. You will use diplomacy to keep the opponent off

you while you build up your technology to crush him later. You will work to attain

the highest quality of weapons, armor and troops. You will not spread out fast

but when you do move, you will move with high-power shock troops like the No-

Dachi swordsman and the Heavy Cavalry.

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• Build up your farms to at least 40% to help keep the money coming in to

support these troops. The more troops you have, the more Koku is spent

to support them each year.

• When and where you can, build mines and ports. Ports bring in 200 Koku

per year and mines vary from 200 for Copper, 400 for Silver, and 600 for

Gold. Mines and ports are very expensive but when you can spare the

cash, they are a great investment.

• Keep just enough troops around to keep you alive. You don’t need

anything more till you are at a level 4 castle with some high level

upgrades.

• Don’t forget diplomacy! Keep on good terms with as many clans as

possible so you have time to build up your forces and technology. This

route to winning is a waiting game for you and you need time to build up.

• Build your castle to level 4 and get your buildings to their highest upgrades

as fast as possible. Nothing brings fear into the enemy lines like heavy

cavalry with a +3 honor, legendary armor and legendary weapons.

• Accept all traders but only use the Dutch trading post so you do not lose

Buddhism and your warrior monks. This will allow you to get the guns to

really wreak havoc.

• When you get some good forces, just begin stepping through the

territories while your main territories build your troops. When you get to

this point, the game is about over.

Ports play a big part in the game because #1, you can get 200 koku per year

from trade and #2, you can move troops from one port to another that you own in

1 move anywhere on the map. When you start to move further from your troop

builders, this can be an invaluable asset.

Castles allow you to get bigger and better troops and buildings: build them when

you can. You MUST have a castle to build any dojo but you can build a mine,

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farm and border watchtower without one. Castles allow you to garrison your

territory also. If you get attacked in a territory and you cannot win, you can pull

some of your troops back to your castle and try to wait it out. The time you can

wait before your troops get sick and die off depends on the amount of troops

inside and the size of the castle.

Farms give you koku to buy and maintain things in your territory. You can also

upgrade your farms to double the output of koku. You will upgrade 20%, 40%,

60% and finally 100%, which makes a big difference in your economy.

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Construction In this section, we will talk about the different tiers that are needed to build other

buildings and troops. We will also discuss how long troop training will take in

each as well as some prime times to build. At the back of this guide, you will find

a build tree that will also help you to determine what and when to build what you

need.

Tier of Building All the building tiers and what you are capable of building comes from the level of

your castle. As your castle gets larger, your options on what to build become

greater.

Structures and Bonuses This is one of the key features that need to be mastered in this game. You need

to know what to build to get what troops. I will be going through and listing each

of the buildings, what the upgrades do to improve them, what troops they can

build with each upgrade and what other buildings can be built at each upgrade.

All this construction rotates around the level of your castle, from no castle to the

level 4 citadels. As your castle grows, so do your options of what to build, what

to upgrade and what troops to train.

Castles This is the heart of your territory and without this, you are VERY limited as to

what you can build. You are stuck building farms, mines and border watch

towers only. These allow you to garrison inside the territory and hold out versus

a siege.

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Castle

This castle allows you to garrison 4 units and build the following: Spear Dojo,

Archery Dojo, Ninja House, Tea House, Tranquil Garden, Ports (near water),

Armory and Large Castle. Large Castle

At level 2 you are allowed to garrison 8 units, build all as in level 1 castles as well

as build famous spear dojo, famous archery dojo, Horse Dojo, Church (After you

have a trade agreement with the Portuguese), Sword Dojo, Famous Armory,

Sword Smith, Palace, Fortress.

Fortress

This is the Tier 3 Castle. At this level, you are allowed to have 12 garrisoned

troops and you can build all of the things you could at levels 1 and 2 plus the

following: all the level 1 buildings can be built to famous, the famous at level 2

can be built up to legendary plus you can build the following extra buildings.

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Mine Complex, Portuguese and Dutch Trading Posts (After the trade agreement

with the Portuguese and / or Dutch)

Citadel

This is the final level of your castle and what a level it is. You are at tier 4 and

you can now upgrade all your buildings to legendary, plus you can now build the

legendary Geisha. At this level, you can build a gun complex (After the trade

agreement with the Portuguese and / or Dutch) and the Geisha House. Your

troops coming out of this territory after the upgrades are complete are of

legendary status and strengths and your name will roar across the territories.

Combat Unit-Producing Structures Some of the buildings you build will allow you to train units to defend your

territories and take over other territories from the enemy clans. We will walk you

through each level of the military structures first and give you the requirements to

build them, what units are produced and what bonuses they gain as the structure

that builds them goes up in tier levels.

Spear Dojos The Spear Dojo is one of the first dojos you will want to build when you get a

level one castle built. They are cheap, fast to build and can build military units in

the form of Yari Samurai and Yari Ashigaru in one season.

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Spear Dojo

The Spear Dojo allows you to produce Yari Samurai and Yari Ashiguaru.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Castle

Famous Spear Dojo

The Famous Spear Dojo allows you to produce the same units that the spear

dojo allowed you to produce at +1 honor If you have an armory in the territory,

you can also build the Naginata uinits.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Large Castle

Spear Dojo

Legendary Spear Dojo

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The Legendary Spear Dojo allows you to produce Yari Samurai and Yari

Ashiguaru at +2 honor and Naginata at +1 honor.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Citadel

Famous Spear Dojo

Sword Dojos The Sword Dojo only becomes available to clans that get the legendary

swordsman event. When you get the sword dojo, you are allowed to train the

No-Dachi swordsman and up your offensive powers.

Sword Dojo

The Sword Dojo allows you to produce No-Dachi swordsmen.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1000 Koku

Large Castle

Legendary Swordsman Event

Famous Sword Dojo

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The Famous Sword Dojo allows you to produce No-Dachi swordsmen at +1

honor.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1000 Koku

Fortress


Sword Dojo

Legendary Sword Dojo

Producing the pinnacle of hand-to-hand combat, the Legendary Sword Dojo

allows you to train No-Dachi swordsmen at +2 honor.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1000 Koku

Citadel


Famous Sword Dojo (?)

Archery Dojos The Archery Dojo is another of the first to build dojos in a territory with a castle.

They build fast and make archer samurai in one season to help back up your Yari

footmen. No territory is complete without the Archery Dojo.

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Archery Dojo

Archery Dojo allow you to produce Samurai Archers.

Requires: 4 Seasons

800 Koku

Castle

Famous Archery Dojo

The Famous Archery Dojo allows you to produce samurai archers at +1 honor.

Requires: 4 Seasons

800 Koku

Large Castle

Archery Dojo

Legendary Archery Dojo

Archers with +2 honor can be produced by the Legendary Archer Dojo.

Requires: 4 Seasons

800 Koku

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Fortress

Famous Archery Dojo

Horse Dojos Horse Dojos take a bit longer to build but will allow you to build the cavalry units

like the Yari Cavalry, Cavalry archers and heavy cavalry with the building of an

armory.

Horse Dojo

The Horse Dojo allows you to produce cavalry archers, with an Archery Dojo,

and yari cavalry, with a Spear Dojo.

Requires: 6 Seasons

800 Koku

Large Castle

Famous Horse Dojo

The Famous Horse Dojo allows you to produce cavalry archers, with an Archery

Dojo, and yari cavalry, with a Spear Dojo, at +1 honor as well as heavy cavalry,

with an Armory.

Requires: 800 Koku

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6 Seasons

Fortress

Horse Dojo

Legendary Horse Dojo

The Legendary Horse Dojo allows you to build all that the Famous Horse Dojo

does but the Cavalry Archers and Yari Cavalry get a +2 honor and the Heavy

Cavalry will now get a +1 honor when trained.

Requires: 800 Koku

6 Seasons

Citadel

Famous Horse Dojo

Buddhist Temples If you choose the way of Buddhism, you will want to build a Buddhist Temple so

you have access to one of the most potent foot troops available, the Warrior

Monks.

Buddhist Temple

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The Buddhist Temple allows the training of warrior monks, one of the most

feared warriors on the battlefield.

Requires: 10 Seasons

1500 Koku

Large Castle

Tranquil Garden

Famous Buddhist Temple

Famous Buddhist Temples allow the production of warrior monks at +1 honor.


1500 Koku

Fortress

Buddhist Temple

Temple Complex

The Temple Complex allows the training of warrior monks with +2 honor.


1500 Koku

Fortress

Famous Buddhist Temple

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Church

With the convert to Christianity, you can build the church, which allows the

training of the Jesuit Priests.

Requires: 6 Seasons

800 Koku

Large Castle,

Port

You must have a trade agreement with the Portuguese or Dutch.

Assassin & Spy Producing Structures Diplomacy, assassinations and spying are a very important part of Shogun. You

need to spy to know what the enemy is doing in the next territory and when a

general is to powerful to kill in battle, you may need to do it in his sleep with a

ninja or Geisha. Sometimes, you may not be in the best position to defend or

attack so you turn to the emissary to talk the neighboring daimyo clan out of

attacking and into an alliance. This is where the Ninja, Geisha, Emissary and

Shinobi come into play. Though not battle units, they can turn the tables of war.

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Ninja Houses Get this as soon as you can. Don’t go out of your way and short yourself

defense but this is a very important building because you can now train the

legendary ninja.

Ninja House

The Ninja House allows the production of ninjas.

Requires: 6 Seasons

800 Koku

Castle

Infamous Ninja House

The Infamous Ninja House allows the training of ninjas that start with 1 kill.

Requires: 6 Seasons

800 Koku

Fortress

Ninja House

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Tranquil Gardens Clans start with one of these in the beginning and there is little to no reason to

build another unless you lose the first. This will let you train emissaries to carry

out diplomatic treaties and spying.

Tranquil Garden

The Tranquil Garden allows the training of emissaries.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Castle

Tea Houses The Tea House allows you to train the famous Shinobi, one of your number one

spies. These are very important if you choose the road of diplomacy.

Tea House

Tea Houses allow the training of shinobi.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Castle

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Famous Tea House

The Famous Tea House allows the training of shinobi with +1 honor.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Large Castle

Tea House

Legendary Tea House

The Legendary Tea House allows the training of shinobi with +2 honor.

Requires: 4 Seasons

500 Koku

Fortress

Famous Tea House

Geisha House The Geisha is one of the most feared diplomatic ninjas ever. With this house,

you are allowed to train the Geisha and put fear into the hearts of other Daimyos.

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Geisha House

The Geisha House allows the training of ninja at +2 kills as well as the legendary

geisha.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1000 Koku

Citadel

Legendary Tea House

Infamous Ninja House

Bonus Providing Structures Some of the structures you build provide a service or a bonus to units build in the

territory that the structure is built in. While not all of them are a necessity, they

are nice to have around if you can afford the time and money to build them.

Towers Towers are a great way to know what your enemy is doing across the territorial

line. When you build a border watchtower in a territory, you are allowed to spy

on any neighbors and if you upgrade to a boarder fort, you now have a counter

spy also. This is very good because the units that do this can be assassinated

but to stop a tower, you must take the territory.

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Border Watch Towers

Boarder Watch Towers act as a spy in neighboring provinces.

Requires: 4 Seasons

400 Koku

Border Forts

Border forts act as a shinobi in neighboring provinces and act as a counter spy in

the province they are constructed in.

Requires: 4 Seasons

800 Koku

Border Watch Towers

Palaces Morale is an important part of any battle. If your troop morale fails, they will flee

the battlefield and you will lose that battle. If your general in battle falls, you lose

1 point of moral and if a troop is losing badly, you lose morale. The Palace will

give any unit build in it a +1 morale at level 1 up to a +3 at the Legendary Palace.

Any territory can build a palace as long as you have a castle of the appropriate

level.

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Palace

The Palace increases the morale of all troops which are trained in the province

they are constructed in by +1.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1000 Koku

Large Castle

Golden Palace

The Golden Palace increases the morale of all troops which are trained in the

province they are constructed in by +2.


2000 Koku

Fortress

Palace

Legendary Palace

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The Legendary Palace increases the morale of all troops which are trained in the

province they are constructed in by +3.


3000 Koku

Citadel

Golden Palace

Armories Armories are an important part of any territory that can build them. To build an

Armory, the territory must have iron sand deposits and a castle but the extra

armor bonus will help your troops to stay in battle longer and take fewer

casualties. You start at a +1 to your armor and this will increase with the

upgrade of your Armory till you get to the legendary +3 armor.

Armory

Armories increase the armor by +1 in the province that they are constructed in

and allow the training of heavy cavalry in famous horse dojos as well as the

training of naginata in Famous Spear Dojos.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1200 Koku

Castle

Iron Sand Deposits

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Famous Armory

Famous Armories increase the armor by +2 in the province that they are

constructed in and allow the training of heavy cavalry in Famous Horse Dojos as

well as the training of naginata in famous spear dojos.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1200 Koku

Castle

Iron Sand Deposits

Armory

Legendary Armory

Legendary Armories increase the armor by +3 in the province that they are

constructed in and allow the training of heavy cavalry in Famous Horse Dojos as

well as the training of naginata in famous spear dojos.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1200 Koku

Castle

Iron Sand Deposits

Famous Armory

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Swordsmiths One of the upgrades to your troops is the event of better weapons. When you

build a Sword Smith and then build a troop, they will be at a +1 weapon factor.

This can increase the efficiency of battle a bit and make a losing battle winnable.

When you improve the sword smith, you get a +2 and +3 increase to the troops

built in that territory. Any territory can build a sword smith if the castle is

upgraded enough.

Swordsmith

Swordsmiths increase the attack power of all units that are trained in the province

that they are constructed in by +1.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1200 Koku

Large Castle

Famous Swordsmith

Famous Swordsmiths increase the attack power of all units which are trained in

the province which they are constructed by +2.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1200 Koku

Fortress

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Swordsmith

Legendary Swordsmith

Legendary Swordsmiths increase the attack power of all units which are trained

in the province which they are constructed by +3.

Requires: 8 Seasons

1200 Koku

Citadel

Famous Swordsmith

Troops Produced With Structures Below is a list of all the structures that can train troops in the game of Shogun.

Some require that other buildings or events happen prior to you being able to

build them and that is discussed above in detail. This chart will provide you with

a quick reference to what each building trains without all the details.

Spear Dojo: Yari Ashigaru, Yari Spearmen, Yari Cavalry (with a Horse

Dojo)

Naginata (with an armory)

Archery Dojo: Samurai Archers, Cavalry Archers (With a Horse Dojo)

Horse Dojo: Yari Cavalry (With a Spear Dojo), Cavalry Archers (With an

Archery Dojo), Heavy Cavalry (With and Armory)

Sword Dojo: No-Dachi

Temple: Warrior Monks

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Tranquil Garden: Emissaries

Ninja House: Ninja

Tea House: Shinobi

Church: Jesuit Priests

Portuguese Trading:Arquebusiers, Musketeers

Dutch Trading: Arquebusiers, Musketeers

Geisha House Geisha

When to Build There really is no law on what to build because every game is different and your

needs will be different. I will just tell you the basics on how to get started building

and what to focus on in the beginning and you can carry it from there. I start with

farms and mines if you can build them. When your farms are at +40%, switch to

the castle and then have the Archery and Spear Dojos ready to go after that is

done. Now, build a couple of men to defend and get your farms up to +60%

followed by a port if you can. If not, time to move the castle to a large castle and

continue on. Keep building your money makers and some troops till you are

pulling in all the money you can, money is scarce in war and this one is no

different. After the money is in, get your Armory and Swordsmith going. Then

build some unit producers and they will have better armor and weapons when

they start.

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Units Below are the various troops you can recruit and the requirements needed, like

the structures and the special events. Many of the units below need a

combination of things like an Armory and a Spear Dojo while others only need

one thing. This will give you a quick breakdown so you know what you need to

build to get the troop you always wanted.

Troop Descriptions and Requirements Troops fall into 4 major categories. Melee, missile, cavalry and espionage.

Melee are the footmen that walk into battle waving weapons like spears and

swords. The Missile users and the ones that sit back and rain down arrows and

bullets to kill from afar. The cavalry ride horses that charge into the heat of

things and mow down the opposition with speed and efficiency and last but not

least are the spies, assassins and diplomats. These fall into a category by

themselves because they do not do their battles on the battlefield, they do it

behind the scenes in the form of words, poisons and attacks from the dark.

Melee Troops Melee troops are extremely important. These, along with good strategy and

planning can make you Shogun, while missing one of these will make you dead.

When all else fails, bring your army.

Yari Ashigaru

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These are the conscripts that are recruited from the peasant population. They

wear light armor and wield yari long spears in battle. These units are best vs.

cavalry units and make sure you keep them together in battle.

Requires: Spear Dojo.

Yari Samurai

Yari Samurai are the mainstay of your armies. They are fairly effective vs. any

opponent but work best against the Cavalry units.

Requires: Castle, Spear dojo.

Warrior Monks

Warrior Monks are the toughest and well-rounded footman in the game. They

strike fear into the hearts of other melee troops unless they follow Christianity for

a religion. Buddhists are afraid to engage the Warrior Monk for fear of religious

consequences.

Requires: Buddhist Temple

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No-Dachi

The No-Dachi are one of the ultimate in shock troops. When the charge the

ranks of the enemy, they pack a punch with their two handed swords. Only light

armor protects the bodies of these warriors so casualties in their ranks can be

high while they dish it out.

Requires: Large Castle, Sword dojo

Naginata

These short spear wielders are the kings of good defense. They have heavy

armor and can be well rounded when fighting most any other troop class. They

move slow on the battlefield but can stand in the way of danger to protect your

weaker archers and gunners.

Spear Dojo, Armory

Cavalry When you need to charge in and get the job done fast and pack a punch when

you do it, the cavalry is your troop selection. They are fast and strong with one

weakness, they cannot hold up against the Yari Troops.

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Yari Cavalry

Cavalry with the yari spear can be a devastating force against other types of

cavalry and non-Yari footmen. Fast on their steeds, they can be quick to break

an enemy formation and over run the archers.

Requires: Horse Dojo

Heavy Cavalry

Heavy Cavalry are early Japans version of the tanks. They are mounted, have

heavy armor and carry swords into battle. If you see these charging you and you

do not have Yari troops or gunners, RUN.

Requires: Large Castle, Horse Dojo, Armory

Ranged Troops Ranged troops are the key to killing off charging troops before you actually have

to go toe to toe. Get enough archers and gunners, and you may not have to fight

at all but beware, they have limited ammunition, light on armor and low on melee

skills.

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Samurai Archers

These archers are the first you should receive; they only need the Archery Dojo

and 1 season to train. These archers are relentless when they get some skills

and can devastate slower troops with a rain of arrows.

Requires: Castle, Archery Dojo

Cavalry Archers

Strike fast and retreat is the way of the Cavalry Archer. Use these units to get in,

shoot a couple arrows, run back, rinse and repeat till the arrows are gone. This

is an excellent way to keep the enemy troop numbers down.

Requires: Horse Dojo, Archery Dojo

Arquebusiers

The first and weakest of the gunners, these gunners do massive damage but fire

VERY slow and cannot take a beating from enemy troops. If it rains or snows,

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you will not fire with these guys so only attack on sunny days. When the ships

come in, the guns come with.

Requires: Fortress, Trading Post

Musketeers

This gunner is capable of operating in rain and snow and has better range and a

higher rate of fire than the Arquebusiers. Also slow and lightly armored, they

cannot take punishment very well from foot troops and cavalry.

Requires: Fortress, Trading Post

Assassins & Spies These units play a very important part in the war if you decide that you want to be

diplomatic and sneaky. Even if you are just a warmonger, you can use these

units to set up your troops and to see what you are charging into before you do.

Just remember, while you are spying and assassinating, your opponent is doing

the same back to you. Use border forts and Shinobi to defend against it.

Emissaries

Emissaries’ only purpose is to spy on your neighbors and to meet with other

Daimyos to discuss treaties. They are very susceptible to the ninja but are also

cheap to train.

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Requires: Tranquil Garden

Shinobi

The Shinobi is a spy and policeman in the same body. They can go to enemy

territories and spy or cause discontent to the enemy’s population. They are also

capable, if kept at home, of increasing the moral of your territories.

Requires: Tea House.

Ninja

Ninjas are the spy and assassin combo. If that general is just to tough to kill in

battle, send in the ninja to take him out in his sleep. Ninja gain experience and

honor for each successful kill, making the next job that much easier. If you think

that general is safe, he isn’t.

Requires: Ninja House

Legendary Geisha

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Masters of the assassination, these women will live with the enemy daimyo and

make attempts at his life. The only thing that can be done about this is to send in

a high level ninja to try to dispatch the geisha or send in another geisha.

Requires: Citadel, Infamous Ninja House, Legendary Tea House.

Jesuit priests

When you turn to Christianity, you can train the Priest. The Priest is used to go

from territory to territory to convert the population from Buddhism to Christianity

so revolts are almost non existent.

Troop Bonus Vs. This section will go over what troops to pit against what troops in general terms.

Things like rain, snow and terrain affect these guidelines but this will work for the

most part. Just remember to use the weather and terrain to your advantage like

described in other sections of this guide and there are very few battles you wont

win.

Yari Ashigaru: These troops have a good bonus vs. Cavalry.

Yari Samurai: Yari Samurai are great vs. Cavalry and good vs. other Yari

and Missile troops.

Samurai Archers Good vs. any troop other than Heavy Cavalry. Keep them

Away from melee and they are good.

Cavalry Archers Good vs. slow troops like foot soldiers. Keep away from

Cavalry

Warrior Monks Great vs. Ashigaru, Yari Samurai, Archers and gunners.

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Keep away from Cavalry and No-Dachi

Arquebusiers Good vs. all troops, great all around but stay out of melee. If

It rains, your not shooting so get off the field.

Naginata Good vs. all troops again. Great protection for archers

Heavy Cavalry Great vs. all non-Yari troops, VERY bad vs. Yari.

No-Dachi Great vs. all non-cavalry troops. Poor vs. Cavalry

Musketeers Good vs. all troops, great all around but stay out of melee

Yari Cavalry Great vs. archers, heavy cavalry, warrior monks and

No-Dachi.

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General Battle Tactics As in all real-time strategy games, there are battle tactics that just work. Below, I

will walk through these tactics starting with General Tactics, Troop balance, then

the formations and finally a lesson on how to use the land. I have found that I

can take a smaller army and clean up on a far superior force (within reason).

1: To start, use the land. Never charge up a hill when the enemy is at the top;

you will only come back down in a body bag.

2: If you are defending, get on top of a hill and guard it from all sides; the enemy

is not stupid and will come in from the back.

3: Do not attack a river territory unless you have twice the normal number of men

needed to take a normal territory; bridges are EASY to defend.

4: When defending a territory with a river, make sure to have plenty of archers,

they can pick the enemy off before they cross the bridge at all.

5: Do not attack castles for they will fall with time. Let them.

6: Mix your troops; there is nothing worse than having all spearmen to see your

enemy has all No-Dachi and all you needed were some archers and cavalry and

the day would have been yours.

7: Keep your archers in the front as long as you can; no good having your cavalry

getting hit with their archers while out of range of yours.

8: When defending, set a position and hold there. Do not chase across the

battlefield at retreating forces. If they want to fight again, they will come to you

again. If you chase, you will get set upon by more troops and then you will be

fleeing, if you can.

9: NEVER let cavalry charge your archers; this is devastating. Have some Yari

troops around to cut off a cavalry charge.

10: Keep an eye on what your troops are fighting. If something comes in that will

clean you up, back up and bring in a counter to that force.

11: If you are losing a fight and you are defending the territory, go into the trees

and hide. The enemy will stand around till time runs out and you will win.

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12: When you are attacking an army with a lot of arquebusiers, try to plan the

attack with rain so they cannot fire their guns. To have a better chance at this,

attack in the spring.

13: Don’t attack in the winter unless you REALLY need to…the timer just buzzes

by and you probably wont win because of this unless you attack a much smaller

force.

14: Unless really needed, leave your taxes at normal till you build up a high

loyalty or you have some Shinobi running around to quell any rebellions and

raise the loyalty.

16: Use the Heavy Cavalry and the No-Dachi for what they are made for:

SHOCK TROOPS. Charge them into the formations and the formations will

usually break. I have used my Heavy Cavalry to break even Yari Samurai

formations. They will turn back and fight and kill you off, but for the effect of a

quick shock there is no substitute. If you can use your Heavy Cavalry to hit the

archer lines and your No-Dachi to hit the incoming spearmen, you will devastate

the opposition.

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Troop Balance Some troop combinations just work good together while others do not. I have

found that some combinations are almost a sure win against anything and the

more different kinds of troops you can throw in an army, the better off you will be.

It’s better to have a few of everything than to have none of what you really need

to take a battle. Whatever you do, do not ever forget the archers and yari troops;

they are your mainstay.

I have found that the best combination is to have a combination of missile,

footmen, cavalry and some shock troops. If you need to do a lot of damage and

you are outnumbered, the Warrior Monk is great but if you have the field in terms

of force, a well balanced army can make your casualties a lot smaller. One of

the best defenses for the missile user is the Naginata and Yari Samurai combo.

The Yari will knock down any cavalry and the Naginata will stop any non-cavalry

troop. If you do not have the Naginata yet the Warrior Monk will fit the bill to a

lesser extent.

Use the cavalry archer. They don’t have a lot of shots till they are out of arrows

but they can wreak havoc on the slower spearmen prior to a melee confrontation.

Send them in, let them shoot a few shots, RUN them back so they cant be

attacked, and shoot some more. When you are out of arrows, run them off the

field of battle so you don’t lose them; they don’t fight very well.

If you need to get to the other side of the battlefield fast to kill a group of

harassing archers, none will be better than the Yari Cavalry. They are fast and

can pack enough punch to make any archers run with their tails tucked. Be

careful when doing this however. If the enemy is alert, you may run your cavalry

into a protecting wall of Yari Samurai and you will lose this.

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The No-Dachi are a GREAT way to break the formation and charge of the

enemy. When these giant 2 handed swords hit the front line of the enemy, they

will scatter and usually falter in their morale. When you have one of your enemy

units down in men and they look like they are about to flee but just need that

extra push, the No-Dachi will push them for you. Keep the No-Dachi away from

any cavalry however; they will succumb very quickly to the yari cavalry or heavy

cavalry.

When you get the Dutch to give you ports, get some musketeers. They are

VERY helpful when dealing with the heavy cavalry and can easily take down

most units. Just keep them away from the heat of melee battle because most

anything will kill them in hand to hand. Again, back these up with archers, Yari

and Naginata and most anything will drop.

The Emissary is a good way to just learn what the other guy has in his back

territories. They move one territory per turn and when they sit in a territory for a

turn, they give you all the information on the troops there.

The Shinobi is neat in a way that you can use him to spy and when loyalty is low

in a territory, you can have him work on making them revolt. Just his presence

alone will make loyalty in an enemy territory go down and when he is in your

territory, he is an anti spy and he will increase your loyalty by policing.

Next comes the Ninja, who has the ability to turn the war in one kill. Ninja are

pretty weak unless you build them up in honor and to do this you need kills. Kill

enemy level zero generals to build the honor up. When it is high, wait for that

one general that is causing you trouble and assassinate him. Ninja only have a

certain percent chance to do the kill…. Don’t even bother unless it’s over 40%,

not worth the chances that you will lose the ninja and gain the hate of the Daimyo

you attempted to kill.

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The Legendary Geisha is one heck of an assassin. Put her on a daimyo and you

can almost count on him dying unless he sends a high level ninja or another

Geisha to kill yours. Nice thing is, if the Geisha fails, the Daimyo cannot attack

her because of the belief that you do not attack a woman so she can try again

later.

Formations The formations in Shogun are basic ways to set up your troops to get the most

effect from them when they tangle with the enemy. The 3 basic unit formations

are the Close formations, the Loose Formation and the Wedge formation. Then

when you are in battle, you can change your group formations to the Single Line

formation, the Defensive formation, the Square Formation, the Left Hand

Offensive, the Center Offensive, the Right Hand Offensive, the Skirmish Center,

the Skirmish Right and the Skirmish Left. Each of these can spell victory or

defeat so get to know them and how each is used. I will give you some basics on

these in this guide so you will have a general idea on which one is used in which

situation.

Using the Land This is one of the most important parts of the game in terms of the actual battles.

If you don’t use the land for what it has to offer, you will make every battle that

much tougher to win. Use the land, and you will take minimal losses and walk

through battles when you should have lost it all. Using the land consists of using

rivers, hills, trees and cliffs to make your enemy break up and do what you want

them to do.

First is the river. When you fight in a river territory, you have one bridge that you

can cross to get to the troops on the other side. The trick here is to have archers

ready with some footmen to protect them if you are the defender. As they cross

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the bridge, let loose with the archers and wait. When they cross to the other side

of the bridge, charge with the footmen. By the time they get all the men across,

there will not be enough men to even hurt you much less all the footmen coming

at them. Most times, the enemy will flee here. If you are the attacker, get the

cavalry and No-Dachi / Warrior Monks out. First thing to do here is to charge the

archers with the cavalry to stop the shooting and make them run. Watch out

when doing this though, there will be some Yari Spearmen coming your way.

That is what the No-Dachi / Warrior Monks are for. Let the spearmen come and

cut them down with the No-Dachi / Warrior Monks. Don’t let them get to the

cavalry if you can; the cavalry already have a mission to stop the archers. Be

prepared to lose men when attacking a river territory, there is just no way around

it but this will help you to take it without losing a great deal of them. Another

thing, when you attack a river territory, come with double the manpower you think

you would really need.

Hills are the friend of both sides of the battle and the enemy. The army on top of

the hill has an advantage over the ones coming up in that they will hit more, kill

more, be less fatigued and move faster. When you charge a hill, your troops

move painfully slow and they do not fight well up the hill. When an enemy has

the hills, look around for a back way up there. Usually you can get on an even

keel with them to attack straight on if you look. If need be, get behind some trees

to minimize the archer damage while you circle. The troops that shine in the hills

are the archers. They can shoot further and hit more when they are on a hill

shooting down so don’t try to charge up to them thinking that it is an easy kill.

Keep your distance and keep covered.

Cliffs are not climbable and therefore troops can be split up on them so be

careful. One thing that I find is that when you tell troops at the bottom to come

around to the top, they will hang up on the cliff and have troubles moving. I have

lost battles with 2 or more of my units doing this when I needed them to route

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something that was attacking a vulnerable unit. One of the good things is that

this happens to the enemy also, so take advantage of it. Micromanage your

troops around this obstacle and you may hang the enemy up, opening up his

vulnerable missile shooters.

Flatlands have nothing strategic except the possibility of some trees. This is

where the Cavalry shines. If you are the defender of the territory, you should

have some Yari cavalry and spearmen with the occasional Heavy Cavalry for

shock. If you are attacking this territory, you want A LOT of cavalry of all sorts,

not forgetting the cavalry archers. In the attackers view, CHARGE. Lead in with

your footmen and charge like crazy with your Yari Cavalry and your Heavy

Cavalry. Have your Cavalry Archers lead the whole thing with its hit and run

tactics with the bow. Out here in the open, this is a wide field and anyone can

take it.

Forests are great in that anything in them is concealed and harder to hit with

arrows. This is where you want your archers to be if you can because they can

fire out without trouble but the arrows coming in are semi blocked. Another good

thing about the forests is that if you are going to lose the battle, you can hide

some troops in the forests, have the others leave the field and wait out the timer.

I have won many a losing battle this way; cheap but effective. If you cant beat

them out, starve them out.

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Territorial Strategy

In this section, we will go through each and every territory to give you a

screenshot and some strategy on the places to start and places to take to have

the advantages spoken of above. There is an attackers view (RED) and a

defenders view (BLACK) of each territory. These of course could vary depending

on your troop makeup but these will be for a balanced group of footmen, archers

and cavalry.

Territory Troop Placement and Strategic Points. Here is where we will go through each territory to determine where you should

begin as a defender and an attacker. This will not go through what to do with

your troops as your troops will be different each time you play but in the next

section, you can see the strategic points in each territory.

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1) CHIKUGO:

The key to Chikugo is to hold or take the bridge. To hold it, place your archers

so they can shoot just short of the other shore and keep your footmen ready to

intercept any charges. To take the bridge, place your archers on the very edge

of the water to cover your men and have them CHARGE the other bank.

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2) CHIKUZEN:

In this territory, your key as the attacker is to get on top of a hill before the

defenders can secure it and as a defender, go to the left to defend the big hill but

if you are beaten to the ridge, cut to the right of your start and take the trees and

hill there.

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3) NAGATO:

This territory has two defensive spots on it in the form of two out jutting hills. Get

your troops on these hills and hold them with archers. Attacker, Get to the right

and on top of the hills and run along the edge to stay on high ground for the

attack. Don’t let your troops get separated climbing the hills. Use the trees on

the right to regroup before the final charge.

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4) HIZEN:

This has two ways for the attacker to get to the defender. You can take the right

and take out the cover fire from archers and use the cover of trees and hills to

get to the main army or you can go left and avoid the cover fire, use the two sets

of trees and charge along the slope. As the defender, you need to get your cover

fire up and put some shock troops on the left to guard against an attack from that

direction. Guard the archers in the trees with some spearmen and back the

archers off when they are in danger.

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5) IYO:

Iyo has a great advantage for the defense. If you go to the left, you can get into

a group of trees that overlooks the ridge that the attacker needs to skirt or come

up. If you have archers on the ridge, you can devastate them before ever going

hand to hand. Attacker: Go left and charge the trees, this is your only hope.

You need to get to the archers as fast as possible or you will be chewed up. No

matter what, you are at a great disadvantage so come with a strong force.

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6) TOSA:

Here is a good territory for your archers to shine on both sides. The defender

has a ridge to shoot off of but the attacker has tree cover to fire from. The

defender needs to hold the ridge here while the attacker needs to come up and

around to the right to get at the defenders flanks.

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7) HIGO:

This is a tough one to defend but nice one to attack. About all the defender can

do is stick on the southern ridge and try to hold it. The attacker however has a

lot of cover in the trees to the left to make a charge against the defense. Head

south and then west to hit the defender in the flanks.

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8) BUNGO:

This territory is another with a nice group of trees overlooking a hillside. Use the

trees and height advantage as a defender. If you’re the attacker, you can come

from the left or right to attack. If you go right, you will be under more archer fire

but will engage faster while the left is less guarded but will take awhile to get to

the defender.

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9) BUZEN:

In Buzen, the defender has to put out a point group of archers in the trees

straight ahead from the start so they shoot down the hill from the cover of the

trees. The attacker can come from all three directions although the right is the

best that I have seen so far because there is more cover in this direction.

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10) SHINANO:

The key for the attacker is to get control of both sides of the valley and make

sure the defense does not get control, or they’ll have a great advantage with the

open area around, and the abilities to shoot from the cover of trees, down a slope

into these open areas. The defender of course needs to get control of one of

these tree slopes to get the advantage here.

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11) MINO:

Well, here is your introduction to the cliffs. If you get your men too close to them

or try to go from the bottom to the top of the hill and a cliff is in the way, your men

will hang up on the cliff and separate, making your battle SOOO much tougher.

Attacker: Pick a direction of right or left and watch the cliffs, hit the trees and

charge down on the defender. Defender: Move forward to the tree patches to

the left or right. Try to coax the attacker into the cliffs so he will separate his

forces.

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12) OWARI:

This area has two bridges to defend. As the defender, you have to take the hills

right in front of each bridge and rain arrows down on the river. Keep a couple of

spearmen and cavalry ready to intercept a charge off the bridges. Attacker: You

need to cross the bridges fast and the best way is to split up your forces and take

them both at the same time. When you get across, you need to attack the hills

and for the defender off them to get the rest of your forces across.

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13) SURUGA:

Suruga is tough to attack because the defender has the double advantage again.

They have a group of trees on a hill overlooking a valley. Defender: Get the

trees on the ledge to the right and rain down death from above with your archers.

Have some cavalry behind the scenes to attack any that come to close and your

spearmen cant handle. Attacker: Head to the right, you need to get in the trees

as fast as possible or you will never see hand to hand combat. You are hurting

right off the start in this one and that is your only chance.

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14) IZU:

Izu is anyones ballgame. Defender, you need to stay in the center on the ridge

but protect your flanks as always. Attacker: Pick left or right and use the trees to

come in close to charge the defenders flanks. DO NOT go up the middle, this

will cause you to lose WAY too many men and you will more than likely lose the

battle.

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15) AKI:

The attacker here is at a small disadvantage. The defender can take up refuge

on the slopes and there is but a small ridge to do a flank on them, making most

of your troops come up hill to get to them. Defender, take the hills behind you

and be patient, let the attacker climb to you.

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16) BINGO:

The attacker on this one has a tough time too. By the time the battle begins, the

defender has a foothold on some hills and trees and there is but one way for the

attacker to even come close to fighting on the same ground. There is a small

ridge to the right to skirt on and then it opens up a bit to the south. Use the skirt

to try to get a side attack on the defender. Defender: Just hold your group in the

trees and pick off the groups as they come.

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17) SANUKI:

Defender has two options here. Stay close to the start point and fight from some

trees overlooking a valley or go left and make the attacker come to you. To the

left is a tougher one to defend but the attacker has a long run to get to you and

will tire while the one near the start is just the opposite. Attacker, Go to the trees

to the right and mount your attack from here. You have some long open runs to

get to the defender.

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18) BITCHU:

Defender rocks here with archers. Put them on the hill in front of the bridge and

let the arrows fly. Have some footmen to intercept any charges that may make it

across and if you lose control, back up some to the hills and trees. You have two

defensive areas that you can hold. Attacker: Cross the bridge and get the

archers off the hill. Charge as fast as you can to get control of the defenders

side and then chase them to the hills. Bring A LOT of extra men, as you will

need them.

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19) KAWACHI:

Another river territory. This one is a BIG advantage for the defender. They have

nothing but hills overlooking the river so the archers will get a big advantage.

Attacker: Bring about three times the normal amount of me unless you feel you

can get some heavy cavalry across quickly. You will hurt for taking this territory

unless you heavily outnumber the defenders.

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20) TAJIMA:

This is a very equal territory for the attacker and defender. As the defender, set

up some archers in the trees to the north but other than that, just fight it out and

hope. Attacker, stay grouped and move in formation so you stick together. Then

charge at the end. Stay high on the edges of the map so you fight on equal

ground with the defender. DO NOT go up the middle or you will give up your

equality in this territory.

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21) TAMBA:

Tamba is nice for the defender but not a sure win. The defender needs to go left

and take the trees and hills there. Make sure your archers cover the perimeter.

Attacker, you can go straight at the defender and get into the trees this way but

you will cover some open ground to do it. My suggestion is to go left and use the

outcropping of trees that the defender is hiding in to cover your self from archer

fire. Once in the trees, get ready and charge.

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General Territory Strategy Overview Above is a list of the 21 territories and the strategies for both the attacker and the

defenders. In this section, I will go over the general strategies that were used

above to help you to take any territory. I will give you some insight on how to use

the land, cover and pinch points in the land to make your enemy cringe and flee

for the hills.

The first thing you need to do is use the in game mini map when you enter battle.

This little map will show you all the high points, low points, trees, buildings, rivers

and bridges and it is invaluable when you are setting up your strategy before the

battle begins. Use the arrow in the right hand corner of the mini map to pull it out

and enlarge it for easier use. Study it and if possible, use a pen and paper to

figure out which directions you will take to conquer the opposing forces. Below, I

will go over the landscape that is in Shogun and tell you how to use it to your

advantage.

Bridges: Bridges are a pain for the attacker. Any territory with a river and bridge

almost always requires two to three times the number of attacking men to take it

because your men can only cross two by two. You need to get your men to the

other side of a bridged river as fast as possible or try to lure the defender to your

side, which is not an easy thing to do mind you. Use Cavalry when attacking,

heavy if you have them. They cross fast; they can outrun the intercepting

spearmen to hit the archers to allow your other troops to cross without the arrows

raining down on them. Defenders on the other hand need to get archers in

position so they cannot hit the other bank but can rain down arrows on the bridge

itself. When the attacker is coming across in pairs, you can pick them off quite

well with your ranged units. Be ready for that charge mentioned above. Place

spearmen on the side of your archers so when the cavalry come across, you can

intercept them on a moment notice. Remember, your archers can hardly

damage the heavy cavalry with the armor they wear so keep the cavalry away.

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Hills: Every territory has hills. From a defensive standpoint, they are your

friends; from that of the attacker, you will learn to hate them. When you are on

top of a hill fighting down, you have a pretty good advantage over the opposing

force along with the fact that they got worn out climbing to get to you. Make the

attacker come to you if you have a hill to stand on. On the other note, hills are

good for you to hide from archers so you can get close enough to rush them. If

an area is REALLY hilly, your cavalry are really put at a disadvantage because

the charge is cut down. Climbing up a hill is VERY slow and wears you out a lot.

Even at a run, you will not move at faster than a snails pace which will give the

Yari troops at the top of the hill an easier chance to overtake you.

Trees: What hills are to cavalry, trees are to archers. When you have a group

under archer fire and you can get to the trees, get there. Your losses will be cut

WAY down and you will let the enemy archers blow off all their ammo in the trees

making them easy pickings. If you are defending a group of trees, your archers

do not have ANY trouble shooting out so make them come to you if you can.

Trees are also great for getting close to the enemy without taking fire. Just go

around the backside of the woods and charge through to the enemy. This will

take their archers out of the battle for a good amount of time and you can

possibly get in close enough to take the archers out before they do too much

damage.

Cliffs: Cliffs are a pain on either side. When you get to close with an army,

some or all of them will get hung up on it. When and if they do find a way around

it, they will in single file, making them easy to pick off. If you can force the

opposing forces up or down a cliff, do it. More than likely you will cut the forces

in half and dealing with thirty men now and a trickle of the last thirty is easier than

taking on sixty in one shot. Cliffs also give your archers a great range advantage

and I have had my archers use all their arrows before the opposing forces have

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even gotten to me. Believe me, when you do that, there isn’t much left of that

opposing force.

Open Plains: Not much cover, just a few rolling hills make the open plains a

cavalry heaven. This is where the cavalry units shine, being able to charge into

the distance and wreak havoc on the opposing forces is great but the casualties

from being in the open can be great also. I prefer to stay out of the open unless I

already have the opposing forces in battle and I want to get my horsemen there

REAL fast. Footmen on the plains are dead footmen so keep them in the cover

unless you are chasing a retreating force. This is about the only strategic value

of the open areas.

Buildings: In some of the territories, you will have some buildings. They really

don’t hold much value except to block the occasional arrow volley. If you are

under fire, you can hide behind them so save some of your men but not all

because the buildings in here are small.

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Charts & Graphs To show you a quick build and troop attack summary, I have put together a few

charts and graphs for quick reference. One is a build tree that will show you

what you can build under each castle upgrade. The next is a troop tree telling

what you can build for troops under each building and a cross reference to other

buildings required and the final chart will give you a quick heads up on what

troops work well against what troops.

Structure Build Tree This chart will give you a quick reference to what structures you can build under

each castle upgrade to better help you to achieve that unit you need to conquer

all of Japan.

Unit Build Tree Need to know what other buildings are required to build a troop and you need to

know quickly? This chart will give you a quick cross-reference to finding that

information out quickly.

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Unit Vs Tree Wondering if you can win a battle with the troops you have versus the troops he

has? This chart will give you quick reference to how all troops will do against

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other troops in perfect conditions on flat ground. Just remember that as in all

battles, the weather and terrain can affect this in some ways but this will help.

Shogun: Total War guide

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